“This Is So Sad”: JD Motorsports Leaves NASCAR Fans in Distress

JD Motorsports’ future appears more precarious than ever before. After withdrawing their No. 6 vehicle from the Xfinity Series race in Pocono, sources indicate that the team lay off many employees on Monday morning. The announcement comes after JD Motorsports filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April. This might well spell the end for the 41-year-old racing squad!

Johnny Davis owns the team, which ran in the first Xfinity Series race, the 1983 Goody’s 300, making it one of the oldest in the sport. NASCAR fans are reacting to the possibility of JD Motorsports joining Stewart-Haas Racing as another historic team to cease operations.

Why JD Motorsports’ situation highlights a bigger issue in NASCAR?

According to writer Toby Christie, Johnny Davis lay off several employees after last weekend’s Pocono race. JD Motorsports has fielded both their No. 4 and No. 6 Chevrolet Camaros in the first 19 Xfinity Series events, but it’s uncertain how the team will go for the rest of the season due to a lack of staff. With people’s livelihoods at stake, one of the most pressing concerns raised by this circumstance is why teams are being forced to close.

NASCAR has often been criticized for not doing enough to support its subsidiary series. Fans and media focus on the Cup Series, but the Xfinity and Truck Series do not receive the same financial support. Take the Pocono race as an example. The Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway had a prize pool of $7,776,907. In comparison, the winner of the Xfinity Series won $1,439,558, while the champion of the Truck Series received only $757,128. Do you see the astounding discrepancy in prize pools between NASCAR’s three national series?

JD Motorsports is the first Xfinity Series team to file for bankruptcy, but the situation in NASCAR’s feeders series is bleak enough for more teams to follow suit. If not months, it may take years, but long-term sustainability across all levels of NASCAR will require more investment trickling into the lower tiers. Doing so will not only improve the quality of races, it will also preserve NASCAR’s heritage and reputation. Moreover, it will also ensure more sponsorship opportunities in the longer term.

NASCAR is now involved in conversations regarding revenue sharing and permanent charters in the Cup Series, but it is past time for them to turn their focus to the lower divisions, which are struggling for existence. While no official announcement has been made regarding JD Motorsports’ departure from NASCAR, fans have not shied away from speaking out, not only about the team’s conditions, but also about the sport’s economic situation.

Fans react to JD Motorsports’ dire circumstances

Fans quickly voiced their feelings once writer Toby Christie’s expose on JD Motorsports’ layoffs became public. One fan, citing the severe economic state of NASCAR’s feeder series, requested additional help for the lower levels. The fan remarked on X (previously known as Twitter): “Sport truly has to pump more money into the feeder series. “I’m actually surprised the truck series isn’t in complete disarray yet.”

NASCAR just negotiated a $7.7 billion television rights pact with Fox, NBC, Amazon, and Warner Bros. that will last seven years. The arrangement represented a nearly 40% rise above current deals and will take effect in 2025. Despite the huge sums of money, one fan said, “NASCAR signing all these tv deals while team going bankrupt adds up”. Another fan, echoing the idea, charged NASCAR of being selfish, writing on X, “If NASCAR wasn’t a monopoly and taking 65-70% of profits.”

Holding out hope that JD Motorsports will be able to emerge from their situation without being forced to close, a fan remarked, “Chapter 11 is just restructuring, so hopefully they come out the other side.” I hate to see anyone lose their job. A NASCAR fan couldn’t contain their disappointment as a 41-year-old NASCAR team was forced to lay off its employees. The fan exclaimed, “This is so sad”.

JD Motorsports was the first team to have a female crew chief in 2008 and also built the first Nationwide Series Car of Tomorrow. Remembering the role Johnny Davis’ team has played in shaping the career of many NASCAR professionals, one fan wrote, “Sad if true. JD gave a ton of drivers and crew a foothold in the industry. Many of them got a chance to learn and work through any mistakes that would eventually help them later on in their careers.”